Thank you all for your continued support in my mission trip! You are all soooo amazing and I truly appreciate your love, prayers and support! I currently have raised $7,380, thanks to your generosity!!
I have met my goal for December and have $8,120 left to raise to meet my goal of being fully funded! ($15,500 total) I have full confidence the Lord will supply all that I need 🙂
On another note, I will be at training camp in 2 days!! Ah I can’t believe it’s already here!! I am sooo excited and the Lord has really blessed me with a lot of peace for the week ahead. Training camp will be in White, GA (north of Atlanta) at a retreat center. We will meet the members of our squad for the first time, as well as 3 other January squads, and our smaller teams will be chosen at camp. We will literally be camping and I’m excited to try out all my gear! At training camp we will be put through various tests and trials to mimic things that might happen on the race…it will be physically, spiritually and mentally challenging in order to prepare us for the journey ahead.
Please pray that the Lord would do mighty things in the hearts of all the racers this week… that He would break strongholds, bring freedom, and strengthen His disciples He is about to send out. Please also pray that He would be sovereign in the selection of the teams and team leaders, and that we would trust in His faithfulness and His plan 🙂
No, I don't know any of these people…thank you Ok maybe it won't be this crazy…but there will be
google images. But I imagine I will be posting close to 300 of us in tents at camp!!
something similar of our squad and all our gear!
As I was driving home today to go get packed for training camp, I was running through the lists I had in my head…tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, warm clothes, etc. My mind switched gears and began to imagine what camp would be like… camping, being in close quarters, limited showers, etc. (the pictures above describe my thoughts) I laughed as I thought, “Man I’m going to look like a mess next week!” …my next thought was, “Wow I might just look like a mess all next year!” Even though I wasn’t very upset at the thought, right on the tail end of my thoughts came a word from the Lord that washed over my heart…
"I have called you to a different kind of beauty.”
The Lord is so good and knows our hearts so deeply, because even if we can laugh about it the Lord knows that deep in the heart of every woman is a desire to be beautiful. I believe the Lord made us with that desire, but the world has twisted it so much that now-a-days when women think about their beauty there is almost always some shred of disappointment- something they would change about themselves, some flaw they believe they have. We also inherently focus on our physical beauty…but the Lord has called us to a different kind of beauty—spiritual beauty.
Listen to what the Lord says about your beauty:
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14
His works are wonderful…you are a work of His. YOU are wonderful and you are fearfully made.
“All beautiful are you, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” Song of Songs 4:7
NO FLAW. Claim that over yourself…there is no flaw in the way the Lord created you. You are beautiful.
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” Isaiah 52:7
That is my desire- that my beauty would be tied to my work as His disciple… That I would be noticed not for my face, hair, etc… but that my feet would become beautiful as I live to bring the gospel.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” Isaiah 61: 1,3
He desires to give us a crown of beauty, if we will only accept it and believe it. He wants to pull us out of the ashes and remind us of our deep beauty, the beauty that comes from being in relationship with Him. We are to be a ‘display of the Lord’s splendor’…think of that! It’s crazy!
“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair or the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” 1 Peter 3:3-4
He calls us to a type of beauty that doesn’t fade or wear out…he desires our inner beauty.
…Well, this was supposed to be a blog about training camp but the Lord turned it into something else entirely. I’m not sure if this was for anyone else but it was certainly what the Lord wanted me to learn.
So, please pray with me for the requests I listed above and also that I would continue to desire spiritual beauty…the beauty that the Lord has called me to, not the world. And that I could focus this week at training camp on my spiritual, not physical beauty 🙂
“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
I love you guys, thank you again for your support, love and prayers.
Link to support me: http://melissamilroy.theworldrace.org/
Follow directions under the “Support Me” tab 🙂
